The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-09-02
UNCLE EPH'S ESCAPE.
He Gives His Own Version of the
- Affair.

About four miles east of the town |
live in is the old Groot place, Il beauti-
full farm of five or six hundred acres
and when was a growing girl l used
to spend weeks and weeks there with
Mary Groot. l did every thing she
did-rose at daybreak, fed young
lambs and calves on bottle, helped
take care of the chickens and turkeys.
caught the roam mare and harnessed
her to the buggy if any body wanted
to drive to town, and | even went
to the district school for awhile. The
Uroots, who were not connections of
our family in the rcmotest degree,
were all uncles and aunts and cousins
to me, and the farm was a second
home. My pony and | were always
welcome there, and it was, perhaps,
partly owing to my aversion to all
schools, except the poor little district
school, that / was sent to Europe to
have Some education crammed down
nv throat
When came home, three years aft
er, on the very first spare day l drove
out to the Groot farm, telling my
mother beforehand that / would spend
the night if l was invited. A certain
letter of Mary's, which had remained
unanswered, lay heavy on my con-
science; otherwise / should have
packed sachel and gone to the farm
with the intention of spending sew
eral days AS l logged along the
turnpike, driving the pony, that, like
me, had grown sedate, l forgot that
my dress was no longer up to the tops
OF my boots until the toll-gate came
in sight. In former days it had given
me great pleasure to send the pony
through the gate on a run, and a little
fat, rcd-faced man would bounce out
and shake his fist after me, but now,
when sad-looking woman stretched
forth her hand, meekly dropped the
pennies into it and made q remark
about the weather. Mad youth had
fled forever On we logged, the pony
and |, up the long brick-yard hill,
then turned off into a narrow, wind
ing road, passing the school-house
which was shut up so tight that it
seemed as if it could never be opened
again l was growing very melan-
choly, and the November day suited
my mood, for the sky was lead-col-
ored, and q Respondent little wind
made the naked branches of the trees
creak like old mems joints. There
had been light fall of snow, and
here and there white patch lay in
the hollows, bringing out the brown
tone of the fields.
Dy the time | had reached the farm
l had convinced myself that all the
Groots were dead, and that their house
and barns were in ruins; but mass
of smoke curling up out of a stout red
chimney raised my dropping spirits,
and when very old dog trotted to the
gate l recognized Prin ce, and he acted
as If he recognized me. There was
not a soul stirring. / drove the
pony under the shed, tied and blank
eted him and then went toward the
house, Prince following me. The house
is built of store, and the roof slopes
down so steep that the tiny windows
under the caves have the demure look
of eyes shaded by long lashes. They
twinkled at me; they invited me to en-
ter and l tapped lightly at the sitting
room door, which was opened at once
by Uncle Eph Groot. He was tall,
spare, bald old man, who shaves three
times a week, Sundays, Wednesdays
and Fridays, and as this was Tuesday
there was silvery growth of stubble
on chin, cheeks and upper lip. knew
him at once, although he looked old
and i'll, but he stared at me blankly.
Il didn't hear you drive in the yard,
ma am, he said, in mild, apologize
tone. Then he put on his spectacles.
'Why, it's you, Janet" he exclaimed.
"Why, come in! l heard you was, ex-
pected back this fall, and here you be;
but there amt soul home but me and
Miranda, all the rest having gone over
to Nine Partners Corners to a funeral
Cousin Silas' wife's funeral and its
lucky | couldn't 60 on account of hav-
ing had a mean cold for week"
He led me into the sitting-room,
which was not changed in the least ex-
cept for new oilcloth table cover A
sheet-iron stove sent out quivering
heat a paper pinwheel on the TOP
whirling around furiously in the hot
current of air, and through the bits of
isinglass the baleful CLEAN of the fire
shone red. After had taken off hat
and jacket and sat down in high
backed rocking chair, Uncle Eph be-
gan to tell me all that had happened
in the last three years; but we soon
drifted into talk Of the remote past